Improve Dress Code Restrictions for Female Students in the Knox County School District

I have decided to start a petition in protest to the irrationally strict dress code rules in the knox county school system. The general guidelines for students, majorly females, and the clothes they can wear in this school system is shocking and, frankly, quite disappointing. We cannot ignore the simple truth that clothing stores do not sell a wide variety of shorts for girls that are below fingertip length, if any, so young women are forced to wear long pants and jeans in 90-100 degree weather simply to avoid suspension. Not only does this present health risks, such as nausea, overheating and even fainting, but it promotes victim blaming in the (unfortunately, extremely prevalent) case of sexual harassment among students. In conversations with many teachers and male students I have been told time and time again that shorts above fingertip length do not present a distraction in class, disproving the major theoretical excuse for why the fingertip rule is in use. Going off of this, are we as a county seriously willing to send a girl home and deprive her of her education simply because her shorts are 'too short'? Due to the aforementioned reasoning, you are prioritizing the sexualization of a woman's body over her right to learn and grow as a human being. Therefore, I am approaching the county board of education peacefully and asking, on the behalf of all students, to please reform your thinking on what kind of clothing is appropriate. Be the change. Thank you for your time.

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buzz thomas: improve dress code restrictions for female students in the knox county school district